Mock-up and training facility

The key to Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Refurbishment project is comprehensive and practical training and planning.

As part of our refurbishment plans and preparations, we constructed a leading-edge training facility, housing a first of its kind, full-scale nuclear reactor mock-up where workers practice necessary tasks in a controlled and realistic environment prior to performing them at the plant.

Innovative and immersive training

Removing and replacing key components within each of Darlington’s four CANDU® reactors is a critical part of the Darlington Refurbishment, comprising a significant portion of the work on the project schedule. To get this work done, highly skilled workers must use specialized tools in tight spaces and under challenging conditions.

Our Mock-Up and Training Facility allows workers on the Darlington Refurbishment to practise their work tasks, perfect their techniques and perform dry runs or full “dress rehearsals,” using real tools and wearing full protective equipment.

This training ensures all workers are thoroughly prepared and tools are tested in a safe and realistic environment long before they begin actual work in the station, which reduces schedule uncertainty and ensures worker safety.

State-of-the-art training

Learn more about our mock-up and training facility.

Specialized tooling

Using state-of–the art technology, Ontario-based manufacturers have developed more than 400 specially-designed tools to remove and install components, and to perform inspections and repairs on the Darlington Refurbishment project.

One of these specialized tools is the Re-Tube Tooling Platform, which is central to nuclear reactor component replacement. Each platform weighs about 500,000 kg and consists of an elevating work surface connected to four columns that allow the platform to move vertically across the reactor face.

Remotely operated, the platform can also move horizontally, allowing workers to access hundreds of extraction and installation points on the reactor face.

It’s this kind of specialized tooling — in combination with high-quality training — that continues to improve performance and manage costs on one of the province’s largest clean energy projects.